Gas turbine combustors generally may be formed from annular combustors or can combustors. Annular combustors include a combustor chamber that is formed from a plurality of removable turbine components, such as removable liners and other components. These removable turbine components are exposed to extreme heat during operation, which sometimes causes distortions and failure in the removable turbine components. Thus, the removable turbine components are replaced at regular intervals to prevent such failure from occurring during operation.
The removable components are often removably coupled to a carrier, which forms the support structure of the combustor, using either spring clips or bolted configurations. Spring clips couple removable components to each other or to the carrier of a combustor, or both. However, spring clips often suffer from relaxation and creep after being exposed to high temperatures commonly occurring in a combustor chamber, which can result in loss of clamp force in the clips. As a result, spring clips, liners, and removable components can be liberated during operation of a combustor and cause substantial damage. To prevent damage, spring clips must be replaced frequently.
Removable components may also be coupled to a carrier using either a hot side bolted method or a cold side bolted method. The hot side bolted method includes bolting removable components to a carrier by inserting bolts through orifices in a removable component from the hot side of the combustor, which is the inner aspects of the combustor. Removable components installed in this manner may be removed by personnel entering the inner aspects of the combustor through a manhole or other device and loosening the bolts attaching the removable components to a carrier. While removable components attached to a carrier in this manner may be removed easily, this method of attachment has disadvantages and risks. For instance, should the bolts loosen during operation, the bolts pose a threat of becoming disengaged with the carrier, traveling downstream, and damaging the turbine blades. In addition, the bolts are exposed to hot gases in the combustor chamber and are required to be cooled and be made from expensive alloys. Air supplied from a compressor of the turbine combustor is often used to cool the bolts; however, use of air supplied by a compressor increases nitrous oxide emissions and degrades turbine combustor performance.
The cold side bolted method includes using bolts installed from the cold side of the combustor, which is the outside surface of the combustor. The bolts are passed through the carrier and are received by the removable components. Installing bolts in this method alleviates the possibility of bolts loosening and traveling downstream and alleviates the necessity to cool the bolts. However, a significant disadvantage of the cold bolted method is the amount of time needed to access the bolts to remove and replace the removable components. The bolts may not be accessed from the inner aspects of the turbine combustor. Instead, the bolts are accessed only after the engine casing has been lifted, which is a process that may take many hours or weeks. Thus, a need exists for a more efficient system and method for releaseably attaching removable components to carriers of turbine engines.